Throne of the North.

Chapter 770 'The North Wind Army, King Ryan'

"North Wind Province?"

It seems that the North Wind Province has indeed gained the Empire's recognition; now even the victorious noble armies are returning to the powerful Empire from here.

That's really...impressive.

Ryan also received firsthand information about the capital city from his father, and learned why Freud did not go with Carlos.

He had to return to the capital and report to His Majesty the Emperor as the supreme commander of the army, instead of staying in his own castle in the province of Carlos.

As for what happens after he reports back, can't a marquis stay in the heart of the empire, by the side of His Majesty the Emperor?

The empire has become quite open, and nobles can now visit each other freely. Moreover, it is now an inevitable trend for nobles to aspire to gain more power from the capital city, a trend that reflects the integration of human civilizations.

As long as he does not go to the province of Carlos to accept the Marquis's original assignment, Freud will continue to hold the title of 'Your Highness'.

Freud couldn't do it on his own. If it weren't for the help of the nobles, or rather, most of them, he would have already slunk away to Carlos under the emperor's order.

At this point, Earl Clayton's father also told Ryan that, in order to prevent the emperor from having any other excuses, the nobles made a deal with the Kingdom of Carlos, well... it should be the remaining half of the Kingdom of Carlos.

As a result, that land, which was originally chaotic and constantly embroiled in civil war, is now incredibly harmonious, with absolutely no sign of any military threat.

Along with the new nobles of the province of Carlos.

Yes, the offspring of those great nobles, the former nomadic nobles who received land from Emperor Columbus III, are now all helpers of Grand Duke Freming, Grand Duke Rodrigo, and their group.

The emperor kept sending people to inquire, both openly and covertly, whether their lands were under military threat and whether they needed the help of the provincial governor, Marquis Freud.

As it turned out, these guys were all tight-lipped, each saying they were fine.

Of course, there were emperors among them; in fact, there were quite a few.

But they didn't dare.

Putting aside the fact that there is no military threat at present, if they were to say there is, as the emperor wishes, then there would truly be one.

The land wars between nobles are similar to the chaotic wars between nobles in the Northwind Province back then. The Empire is now like it hasn't accepted the Northwind Province yet, just as it hasn't accepted the Carlos Province.

Moreover, times have changed. The emperor is far away and the empire has just killed many clergy members of the Dawn Church, including even cardinals.

It's perfectly reasonable for the Dawn Church to want revenge.

If the Dawn Church retaliates, they'll likely use the previously monstrous Black Swan assassins, which makes perfect sense.

Black Swan assassins are impossible to guard against; if you're not careful, the nobleman will die. That makes perfect sense, doesn't it?

In this situation, very few nobles dared to say that they were under military threat from outside the empire and needed the help of marquises and governors to coordinate the army.

The province of Carlos doesn't even have a single noble family right now.

Or perhaps Freud was the only great nobleman in that land. If it were any other era, Freud would have been forced to take up a post in the province of Carlos, and he might have achieved something great.

Now? Now it's probably not something Freud can decide alone. Too many nobles are pushing him back to the capital as a bargaining chip in the power struggle between the nobles and the emperor.

but……

"However, after this victory of killing several cardinals, coupled with Freud's grand display of power by leading the army on a long detour, the emperor will likely have even more supporters around him."

There was no way around it; Freud's roundabout approach was destined to add countless prestige to the empire, and this prestige naturally fell upon the emperor's head.

Furthermore, with this unprecedented victory over the Dawn Church, the nobles within the empire, having gained a clearer understanding of the situation, will likely rallied around the emperor.

The simplest example is that the six provinces in the North, including Northwind and Ryan, are now on the Emperor's side, as the Emperor has brought them benefits.

There's nothing we can do; after all, the emperor is the ultimate master of the empire.

The reason why Grand Dukes Freming and Rodrigo used the matter of the dead noble knights to undermine the prestige of Chrysus and Meyers was actually to stop and slow down the process of nobles leaving to join the emperor.

Currently, the two sides are relatively evenly matched. Once Freud returns in triumph with the Empire's honor, the Emperor's side should gain the upper hand.

What is the current situation of Ryan's father, Earl Clayton?

Ryan looked at the letter his father had written. Due to Ryan's remarkable growth in the north, he had become an indispensable part of the Clayton faction, which was why so much firsthand information was coming his way.

In the current situation, the Clayton Earl's political faction is aligned with the Grand Duke of Fleming's political faction, but it remains independent, similar to the Dawn Church, which aspires to the status of a Cardinal outside of the Cardinals.

However, it is certain that, given the lack of the environment provided by the Dawn Church within the Emperor and the Empire, the Clayton Earl family's ambition to rise to the status of a Grand Duke will not be achieved simply because of the Emperor's or any other noble's wishes.

therefore……

"Now the Clayton family has become a hot commodity?"

"On the side of the Grand Dukes and nobles, due to the situation in the south, they need to compromise some interests to share with the Earl of Clayton. On the side of the Emperor, as nobles are naturally loyal to them, the Emperor also needs to win over the Dragon Knights. No, because of my existence, my father is actually closer to the Emperor."

Ryan felt numb all over; the capital city was so lively.

However, Clayton's letters were all just to let Ryan know what was happening, so that he wouldn't panic when something happened.

Therefore, these things actually have little to do with Ryan.

His primary concern now is the noble knight army that will return to the Empire from the North.

"so troublesome."

Ryan glanced at his spiritual panel. He was almost finished connecting to the new interdimensional portal, but now he had to be distracted by this army.

"I could have slept until I naturally woke up."

Ryan could indeed sleep until he naturally woke up, but the land of the North was not what the imperial nobles imagined. All the nobles lived under Ryan's will, and when Freud's army arrived, they would definitely find that things were different here.

Therefore, Ryan needed to keep a low profile; he didn't want the word "North Wind Army, King Ryan" to spread throughout the empire soon.

Floyd's army was moving faster than Lane had imagined.

First of all, his main purpose was to go in circles, rather than to proclaim the power and glory of the imperial beacon.

Under this hierarchical relationship, the travel speed is much faster, almost to the point where one only needs to stay overnight at the invitation of a powerful nobleman before setting off the next day.

Then, as they passed through that vast noble territory spanning millions of square kilometers, they also noticed something amiss.

"Damn it, the aura of the abyss has appeared here openly. What on earth is the Dawn Church doing in this land?"

[The Shepherd of Light] Stuart looked at the distant sky with some annoyance. It was empty, and he would be able to see it then.

Several legends could sense it, and Rosalind, the Witcher, also frowned. This legend, who had once hunted demons in the abyss, was all too familiar with this aura. "What do we do? Should we intervene?"

"Will there be any consequences for taking action?"

Freud looked at Stuart, the Lightherd, who loathed the Abyss more than anyone else present.

“All the abyssal ‘nests’ here are under the watchful eyes of the great beings of the abyss. This is their outpost for entering the continent of Norris. They have spared no effort in this matter. If we act as the Empire, it will likely cause an uprising in this land.”

When the word "riot" was uttered, Floyd shook his head.

"Leave it to the Dawn Church. This area still belongs to the Dawn's faith, not the Empire's faith in light."

With the power of the abyss at their disposal, the noble army moved even faster, without even intending to display their divine power on this land, nor wanting to clash with the great being of the abyss.

So, a few days later, they appeared on the border of the Kingdom of Kolan.

Ahead, large numbers of slaves, laborers, and even soldiers are busy at work.

Riding on his warhorse, Freud could even see tall, armored bears amidst the busy fortifications, with a burly woman swaggering on their backs... as if she were bullying someone.

"The Kingdom of Kolan has not experienced war for many years. These guys have actually started a civil war because they have been too comfortable for too long. It's ridiculous."

"But what are they doing?"

"Clearly, the Kingdom of Coran, which is closest to the noble territory behind us, was the first to discover the traces of those Abyss servants. Are they building fortifications in preparation for war?"

"Logically speaking, the Kingdom of Coran should have reported the appearance of the abyss to Dawn Holy Mountain."

At this point, everyone fell silent, exchanging glances and not continuing the conversation.

The Kingdom of Kolan must have reported it, but judging from the abyssal aura discovered earlier, the abyssal power appeared around the time they were launching a fierce attack on the Dawn Church.

Perhaps some of the clergy they killed were originally heading to that land to explore the extent of the abyss's aura.

Moreover, at that time, they were locked in a fierce battle with the Dawn Church, and the Church might not have had the time.

Therefore, it's best not to talk about this kind of topic.

"Hehe, that Solarion has some backbone. He didn't utter a word from beginning to end. If he had brought up the news of the Abyss invasion, we would have had a hard time reaching the foot of the Holy Mountain."

Of course, Solarion was also suppressing news about this matter; otherwise, how could he have sent those cardinals away?

All the coincidences were actually a kind of inevitability. In short, only now do people realize that the power of the abyss has actually invaded their world.

"Perhaps this is a mess they created in the first place."

On their triumphant return journey, Brutus, the successor to Grand Duke Rodrigo, also joined the army, accompanied by a group of mages.

He wasn't wrong. The emergence of the Abyss's power was originally due to the alienation and betrayal of the clergy on Mount Dawn. Even the Pope had to enter the Abyss to suppress it, but in the end, many great beings of the Abyss still extended their tentacles over.

"The Kingdom of Kolan will not stop us."

This was a confidence born of strength. Freud led his army toward the Kingdom of Coran. Soon, the two sides confronted each other on a river that was not yet filled with water, but only muddy water.

It was only then that Freud and his men realized that the army of the Kingdom of Coran was surprisingly well-trained, showing little nervousness in the face of their powerful imperial noble army.

"Who are you?"

Galic stepped forward, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword. This gesture did not indicate that he would actually attack, but rather it was an attitude, representing the attitude of the Kingdom of Coran.

Of course, he already knew about the army's arrival, whether it was from Ryan's warning or from the Imperial Knights' scouts.

"Imperial Army".

They nodded, reaching a tacit understanding. The King of the Kingdom of Kolan had already ordered the army to go.

"the way……"

Before Galic could finish speaking, a magician took to the air behind Brutus, and after a dozen breaths, the riverbed that had been dug out beneath his feet had turned into solid ground.

Freud moved on without saying anything. Their relationship with the Kingdom of Coran wasn't very good; after all, this was still the land of Dawn.

But soon, Floyd looked at Galick with displeasure again.

"What do you mean?"

The soldiers of the surrounding Kingdom of Kolan were still holding their weapons. The sharp spears couldn't harm them, but such behavior was undoubtedly a provocation and a move that made both sides tense.

"What are you doing? Put down your weapons, these are friends from the Empire."

Galic rebuked them with dissatisfaction. As soon as he finished speaking, many soldiers put away their spears, but many others still held their spears up, watching the Imperial army that was passing by them with growing tension.

Their eyes didn't seem to indicate any intention to start a war; they were merely glancing in another direction, seemingly casually.

The eerie atmosphere drew everyone's attention to the armored bear on the other side.

Under the big tree, the armored bear lay limp, while the armored bear warriors were thrown out like chicks, fighting and killing each other. The scene... didn't really look like a fight, because there was a lot of blood splattering.

But judging from their expressions, they were laughing and joking the whole time, seemingly without any pain whatsoever.

"Commander Bogeld!"

Galic was genuinely angry. Ever since he returned to the Kingdom of Coran with the Kingdom's army and began guarding the southern border, he had encountered Bogeld and everything had gone wrong.

The legion commander from the Frozen Territory would often pull the Kingdom's army into sparring, saying that since there was logistical support, they should seize the time to train.

At first, Galick was quite happy because he was said to be the second-in-command in Ryan's army.

But was that training? The whole process was one-on-one beatings: Bogelder against a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, and then... a one-sided massacre.

Moreover, when this woman gets angry, she doesn't care who you are. If he weren't Ryan's student, he would probably be covered in bruises today.

Nobody can do anything about it, because I've heard that this guy is even more lawless than Lord Brand.

Gradually, Galic realized that the army of the Kingdom of Kolan was no longer under his control.

Upon hearing Galic's words, Bogeld, riding on the back of an armored bear, slowly approached from afar, his roar deafening.

"Didn't you hear what Commander Galic said? Put your weapons down right now."

(End of this chapter)